April 12, 2013 2013 Year, Issue 4 from the City of Berkeley Police Department BPD Needs Your Help Ashkenaz Bank Robber Caught Auto Burglars Captured Tire Slasher Car Stop Nets Guns Gunshots Heard Distracted Driving Awareness Month South Campus Auto Burglary Burglaries on the Arlington April 27th Events Contact Info The Berkeley Police Department is cur- rently tracking a pattern of street rob- beries along the Downtown Shattuck Cor- ridor (see map). Frequently targeting persons with Smart Phones, BPD is en- couraging persons with smart phones or other PDA’s to keep them out of public view. If you have any information about these incidents, please contact BPD’s Robbery Unit (510) 981-5742. PERSONAL SAFETY TIPS: Keep all electronics & other valua- bles out of view. Keep aware of locations & situa- tions that make you more vulnera- ble to crime—such as alleys, park- ing lots, stairwells, etc. Report suspicious persons or ac- tivities to police. Do not carry large amounts of cash. Always stay alert & aware of your surroundings. STAY ALERT & AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS BPD NEEDS YOUR HELP BPD Detectives are investigating an armed robbery that occurred near the intersection of Milvia & Stuart Streets on March 13th. The depicted individual is believed to be the suspect. The suspect fled the area and was last seen getting onto an AC Transit bus after the incident.
Transcript
April 12, 2013 2013 Year, Issue 4
from the City of Berkeley Police Department
BPD Needs Your
Help
Ashkenaz
Bank Robber
Caught
Auto Burglars
Captured
Tire Slasher
Car Stop Nets
Guns
Gunshots Heard
Distracted Driving
Awareness Month
South Campus
Auto Burglary
Burglaries on the
Arlington
April 27th Events
Contact Info
The Berkeley Police Department is cur-
rently tracking a pattern of street rob-
beries along the Downtown Shattuck Cor-
ridor (see map). Frequently targeting
persons with Smart Phones, BPD is en-
couraging persons with smart phones or
other PDA’s to keep them out of public
view.
If you have any information about these incidents, please contact BPD’s Robbery Unit (510) 981-5742.
PERSONAL SAFETY TIPS:
Keep all electronics & other valua-
bles out of view.
Keep aware of locations & situa-
tions that make you more vulnera-
ble to crime—such as alleys, park-
ing lots, stairwells, etc.
Report suspicious persons or ac-
tivities to police.
Do not carry large amounts of
cash.
Always stay alert & aware of your
surroundings.
STAY ALERT & AWARE
OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS
BPD NEEDS YOUR HELP
BPD Detectives are investigating an armed robbery that
occurred near the intersection of Milvia & Stuart Streets
on March 13th. The depicted individual is believed to be
the suspect. The suspect fled the area and was last
seen getting onto an AC Transit bus after the incident.
On March 16th at about 12:16 am, two armed suspects entered Ashkenaz Music and Dance Center (1317 San Pablo Avenue)—demanding cash from the employees. During the robbery, two employees were shot and wounded.
BPD officers arrived on scene within moments and attempted to stop a subject who fled from the area.
The subject ran into a yard and officers quickly surrounded the block.
Due to the violent nature of the crimes committed, BPD utilized their Barricaded Subject Hostage Nego-
tiation Team (BSHNT) to search for the suspect. As a safety precaution residents in the area were noti-
fied of the incident and asked to stay inside their homes.
BPD is urging anyone who may know anything about this
incident to call BPD’s Robbery Unit (510) 981-5742. If a
person wishes to remain anonymous, he/she can call Bay
Area Crimes Stoppers (BACS) at (800)-222-TIPS (8477).
BPD Officers, working with an Alameda County Sheriff’s Of-
fice K-9 Deputy, conducted an extensive yard-to-yard search
of the area looking for the suspect. During the search, a sus-
pect was located behind a building on the 1300 block of San
Pablo Avenue and taken safely into custody.
The injured employees were transported to a local hospital
On March 3rd, at about 12:30 am, a resident on the 1600
block of Milvia Street awoke to the sound of car doors
opening and closing outside. When the resident looked
outside, the resident saw a man getting out his neighbor’s
street parked vehicle. The resident yelled at the man and
called BPD. When the suspect started walking away from
the area, the resident followed the suspect from a dis-
tance while still on the phone with police dispatch. When
another vehicle drove-up to pick-up the suspect, the resi-
dent watched and relayed this information to the police
dispatchers as well.
With the description the resident relayed to police dis-
patch, Sergeant Emily Murphy #S-28 responded to the
area to search for the suspect get-away vehicle. While
driving the area, Sergeant Murphy spotted the suspect
get-away vehicle at the intersection of Milvia Street and
Hearst Avenue. With the assistance of several other BPD
officers, Sergeant Murphy stopped the vehicle and de-
tained the suspect—who was subsequently arrested for
felony theft with priors (BPD Case #13-12093).
On March 25th, at about 2 am, a resident
on the 1100 block of Colusa Avenue saw
a person inside her vehicle that was parked
on the street. As the resident watched the
person walk away from her vehicle, the res-
ident immediately called BPD and provided
the police dispatchers with a description of
the suspect.
Responding to the police radio broadcast of
the auto burglary, Sergeant Jennifer Tate
#S-14 located the suspect at the intersec-
tion of Colusa Avenue and Sonoma Ave-
nue—where the suspect was subsequently
arrested for felony theft with priors as well
as a violation of their court-ordered proba-
tion (BPD Case #13-16315).
Page 4 Neighborhood UPDATE
CAR STOP NETS GUNS!
On March 1st at about 10 pm, Officer Mi-chael Yu #28 spotted a vehicle driving north-bound on Sacramento Street (near Harmon Street) with its headlights turned-off. After stopping the driver for the violation, Of-ficer Yu discovered that the driver did not have a Driver’s License. As vehicles driven by unlicensed driver’s are subject to be towed—per the CA vehicle code, Officer Yu had the driver and passenger step out of the vehicle. When Officer Yu searched the vehi-cle, he discovered two loaded weapons and ammunition. When the passenger saw that Officer Yu had discovered the handguns, the passenger ran from the scene—but was quickly captured nearby and arrested for the weapon viola-tions (BPD Case #13-11855).
TIRE SLASHER
On March 9th at about 6 pm, an unknown suspect slashed the tires of seven different vehicles parked along the 2800 block of California Street (BPD Case #13-13281). If you have any information about these inci-dents, please contact BPD’s Property Crimes Unit (510) 981-5737.
GUNSHOTS HEARD
On March 27th, at about 6:15 pm, BPD received numerous 911 calls of gun shots heard from the area of Harmon Street / California Street. Upon their arri-val, officers located four (4) parked vehicles struck with bullets (unoccupied). Witnesses describe the suspect as a male in his twenties—last seen running southbound on California Street (BPD Case #13-16839). If you have information about this incident, please contact BPD’s Homicide Unit (510) 981-5741.
This month, Officer Rashawn Cummings joined the Community Services
Team. Selected for the Area 4 coordinator position, Officer Cummings is
taking over the reigns from (recently promoted Sergeant Cesar Melero).
Serving in assignments such as Patrol, Bicycle Patrol, and the Drug Task
Force (DTF), Officer Cummings has a wealth of knowledge and experi-
ence that he can apply in Area 4.
In addition to his new responsibilities, Officer Cummings will continue to
be a Field Training Officer (for new recruits), a Firearms Instructor, and a
member of the Barricaded Subject Hostage Negotiation Team (BSHNT).
After serving as Area Coordinator for both Area 3 and Area 4, Sergeant
Melero will now continue his service on the streets as a Patrol Supervisor.
We both welcome Officer Cummings to the Community Services Bureau
and wish Sergeant Melero the best in his new assignment.
Ofc. De Bruin #2 Ofc. Perez #21 Ofc. Schaefer #113
For information on how you can become a member of the Berkeley Police
Department, contact our Personnel & Training Unit (510) 981-5977.
Ofc. Rashawn Cummings #34
DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS MONTH
In a growing effort to stem the dangerous tide of texting and cell phone use while driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has again designated April as National Distracted
Driving Awareness Month.
Nationwide, many people die needlessly each year because people continue to use their cell phones while driving (handheld or hands-free).
On the March 3rd, at about 5:30 pm, a resident heard the sound of glass breaking coming from the 2400 block of Dana Street. When the resident looked over, the resident saw a man stand-ing next to a parked vehicle—with its passenger-side window smashed-in. Thinking this was suspicious, the resident kept watching the man and saw the man begin to rifle through a backpack. As the man walked away from the vehicle, the resi-dent followed the suspect from a distance and called BPD. Quickly arriving to the scene, the resident flagged-down Officer John Ettare #156 and the resident pointed out the suspect. With the prompt and terrific effort from the resident, Officer Ettare was able to detain the suspect—leading to the suspect’s arrest for auto burglary. Since the suspect also had stolen property from a 2nd auto burglary in his possession, the suspect was ultimately arrested for two counts of auto burglary, possession of burglary tools and stolen property (BPD Case #13-12194 & 13-12274).
On March 25th at about 2 pm, this suspect stole a cell phone from the Sprint store (2210 Shattuck Avenue).
Witnesses describe the suspect as an African-American male, mid 20’s to early 30’s, about 6’3” tall, with a thin goatee, wearing blue jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt with the letter “R” on the front of it—possibly the “Rocawear” brand (BPD Case #13-16401).
If you have any information about this suspect, please contact BPD’s Property Crimes Unit (510)
981-5737).
SOUTH CAMPUS AUTO BURGLARY
WHO IS THIS SUSPECT?
BEWARE OF THE PET DOOR!
On March 19th, a burglar entered a home on the 1200 block of Campus Drive
using the residence’s large-sized pet door. Just a reminder to everyone, the larger
the pet door—the easier it is for unwanted intruders to enter. Something else to consid-
er is that even if you have a smaller pet door, other animals could potentially use this as
an entrance as well. To prevent this, consider having a pet door with access only to a
secured space—like a garage, mud room, etc.
“So that’s how
you get in!”
“I’ll bet there’s some good
snacks in here!”
PS. THE POLICE DO NOT REMOVE SKUNKS OR RACCOONS.
Page 8 Neighborhood UPDATE
On Monday March 25, 2013 at about 2:30
pm, two suspects broke into a residence on
the 400 block of Arlington Avenue by
breaking a rear door. At home during the
burglary, the resident confronted the two
suspects. The suspects told the resident
they found the back door open and then
fled—stealing the resident’s purse.
Later the same day, one of the resident’s
credit cards was used at a store in El Cerri-
to, CA. The below images were captured
by store surveillance cameras (BPD Case
#13-16414).
Witnesses describe one of the suspects
as a White male in his 20's, about
5'10"—6'0" tall, with a thin build, short
curly brown hair, wearing a black and
grey plaid jacket, grey t-shirt, and blue
jeans.
Witnesses describe the 2nd suspect as a
White female (middle photograph) in her
20's, about 5'6"-5'10", white a thin build,
long hair, wearing a grey/white hat, dark
sweater, and blue jeans.
On March 8th at about 7:15 pm, a couple on the 600 block of the Arlington Avenue returned home
to discover that something was not quite as they left it. The couple noticed that one of their hallway
doors was ajar. When they looked closer, the couple was surprised by an intruder running down their
staircase. While the wife called 911, the husband yelled for the intruder to “Stop!”
Arriving moments later, officers restrained the intruder in handcuffs—who was later charged with home
invasion robbery (BPD Case #13-13175).
BURGLARIES ON THE ARLINGTON
Page 9 Neighborhood UPDATE
There is a Berkeley CERT City Emergency Exercise scheduled for April
27, 2013. This very important event is open to anyone--regardless of your
level of training or level of preparedness. There will be exercise activities
that can be completed by anyone who wants to help prepare themselves
and their families for disaster and emergencies.
Encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to register as a participants as well. The Participant Handbook on the exercise website details ways you can conduct preparedness actions and practice our emergency re-sponse plans and skills for this event. Click here, to register for the event. If you have any questions, see the Exercise FAQ or feel free to contact the CERT Program Manager—Khin Chin (510-981-5506) [email protected].
GET PREPARED!
Residents can come to the Heart 2 Heart Neighborhood Celebration and safely & anonymously
dispose of all unused, unneeded, and expired prescription medications.
This is the best way to dispose of medication—especially those drugs which may not be accepted
back by pharmacies. Unused medications that are flushed contaminate the water supply. Turning
in old medication reduces the risk of accidental poisoning, overdose, theft, and abuse. Proper dis-
posal of unused drugs saves lives and protects the environment.
Where: The corner of Oregon & Sacramento Street in South Berkeley
Date: Saturday, April 27th, 2013
Time: 10 am — 2 pm
Cost: Free!
The National Take-Back Initiative
is a project of the Drug Enforce-
ment Agency (DEA) in conjunc-
tion with the City of Berkeley
Health, Housing and Community
Services Department, as well as
the Berkeley Police Department.
For more information, please visit
www.dea.gov.
NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG
TAKE BACK DAY
HOW IT WORKS
Residents can bring any medication to the booth on the
corner of Oregon & Sacramento Streets for disposal.
No identification is required and no records are kept.
Residents can keep or dispose of the containers.
No needles, please.
Because pharmacies generally cannot accept con-
trolled substances, residents are encouraged to dis-
pose of controlled substances such as Vicodin,
Percocet, OxyContin, and Codeine; Stimulants such as
Ritalin and Dexedrine; Sedatives and tranquilizers as
EMERGENCIES 911 (Program 510-981-5911 for your cell phone)
To report Non-Emergencies and to make police reports, call (510) 981-5900.
Crime, Respect, and Accountability
BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT’S
ONLINE CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM http://www.cityofberkeley.info/onlinepolicereport/
You can use the system so long as:
it is a non-emergency matter;
There are NO known witnesses, suspects, or physical evidence;
The incident occurred within the Berkeley city limits, but not on
University of California property or on a freeway;
You have an email address.
Report
US Mail Crime! Mail Theft/Tampering
Mailbox Vandalism
Mail Fraud
False Change of Address
Michael Meehan
Chief of Police
Cynthia Harris
Police Captain
Lynne Ohlson
Business Manager
Erik Upson
Police Captain
Andrew Greenwood
Police Captain
Neighborhood Update is an occasional Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Newsletter focusing on crime trends and significant events occurring throughout the city.
To get a complete view of crimes happening in your neighborhood, visit BPD’s Community Crime View web page—(http://berkeley.ca.crimeviewcommunity.com/default.aspx) or Crimemapping.com (http://www.crimemapping.com/).
If you wish to receive this newsletter directly, please send an Email with your name and mailing address to—[email protected].
